Sports Briefs

AGENCIES

■ AUTO RACING

Peugeot wins at Interlagos

Peugeot's Marc Gene and Nicolas Minassian won the traditional Mil Milhas Brasil race at Interlagos in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with teammates Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin finishing second to clinch the Le Mans Series title. Gene and Minassian, driving a Peugeot 908, finished the 1,600km, 374-lap race in 8 hours, 58 minutes, 21.822 seconds late on Saturday night. Lamy and Sarrazin, also with a Peugeot 908, crossed the finish line at the 4.2km Interlagos track 12 laps behind, a result that guaranteed them the Le Mans Series title. Lamy and Sarrazin had the pole position but had to overcome mechanical problems that forced them to start from last place. Felipe Ortiz, Stuart Hall and Jamie Campbell Walter, with a Creation-Judd, finished third, 18 laps behind.

■ SPEEDSKATING

Wotherspoon wins in Utah

Canada's Jeremy Wotherspoon won his second World Cup speedskating 500m of the weekend and also took the 1,000m on Sunday. Wotherspoon won the 500 in 34.14 seconds, slightly off the world record of 34.03 he set on Friday at the Utah Olympic Oval. South Korea's Lee Kang-seok, who held the record until Friday, was in the same pairing with Wotherspoon and finished second in 34.23. Wotherspoon added his third gold medal of the weekend in the 1,000 with a time of 1 minute, 7.03 seconds, edging the US' Shani Davis (1:07.04). In the women's races, Italy's Chiara Simionato won the 1,000 in 1:13.47. The Czech Republic's Martina Sablikova wrapped up the races by winning the 3,000m in 3:57.98 on the same track where she won two titles at the World Single Distances Championships in March.

■ FOOTBALL

Coach Dick Nolan dies

Former NFL player and coach Dick Nolan died on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers said on their Web site. Nolan, who was 75 and had spent several years battling prostate cancer, coached both the 49ers and the New Orleans Saints and is the father of current San Francisco coach Mike Nolan. "The San Francisco 49ers organization is mourning the loss of one of our legends with the passing of Dick Nolan," 49ers owners Denise and John York said in a statement. Nolan won an NFL championship as a player with the New York Giants in 1956 and became the 49ers head coach in 1968. He led the team to three consecutive division titles. He was fired after the 1975 season following records of 5-9, 6-8 and 5-9. He had a 56-56-5 record with the 49ers.

■ AUTO RACING

Button threatens to quit

Jenson Button threatened to leave Honda unless the Formula One team can provide him with a more competitive car. Button scored six points in this year's F1 competition and teammate Rubens Barrichello didn't earn any. Button is blaming the car. "The car was a complete dog," Button was quoted as saying in the Mail on Sunday. "I'm just not interested in racing like this any more." Button said he was jealous of the success of Lewis Hamilton, who finished second in the drivers' championship in his first year in the sport, because his McLaren car was a better one. "I did a bloody good job with what was given to me and I'm not afraid to say so," Button said. "I remain one of the best drivers but until I'm given a competitive car, it's difficult to prove it." Button won his first Grand Prix last year in Budapest, Hungary, after seven years of racing.